Cancer refers to any one of a large number of diseases characterized by the development of abnormal cells that divide uncontrollably and have the ability to invade and destroy surrounding tissue. Every year nearly 10 million people around the world join the more than 25 million already living with cancer. It is estimated that half the men and one-third of the women in the United States will develop cancer in their lifetimes. It is also estimated that this year about 1.4 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and over half a million people will die of the disease. Despite advances in cancer therapy, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States.
Many types of cancer treatments are currently in use, including chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy and surgery. Chemotherapy refers to the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. Whereas normal cells grow and die in a controlled way, cancer cells divide, and therefore multiply, without control, and chemotherapy drugs generally destroy cancer cells by stopping them from dividing. However, healthy cells may also be damaged, especially those that divide quickly. Damage to such normal cells accounts for many of the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Side effects are different for each chemotherapy drug, and they also differ based on the dosage, the route the drug is given, and how the drug affects each subject. Some patients experience side effects so severe that chemotherapy must be discontinued. For example, certain types of chemotherapy, such as administering of Carmustine, Lomustine, Ara-C, Cyclophosphamide, and Daunorubicin, are associated with the potential for liver toxicity or permanent liver damage.
Members of the Aristolochia family of plants have been used in medicinal preparations according to traditional medicine in various countries throughout the world. For example, Aristolochia paucinervis pomel has been marketed for use as a dietary supplement in the Kingdom of Morocco for more than 10 years. Chinese medicines meant to affect weight loss, improve the immune system or alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms have been extracted from Aristolochia paucinervis pomel.